Publisher’s Letter

from Fine Art Connoisseur September/October 2018

Editor’s Note

HOW COCORS BCOMARISS

B. ERIC RHOADS (b. 1954) Selfie, 2018, pencil on paper, 16 x 12 in. Over the past decade and a half, while publishing this and other art magazines, I have discovered something I never anticipated. People who collect art often become artists, and I see a lot of artists who become collectors. At exhibition openings and other events, collectors often declare, “I wish I could do that,” then, “But I don’t have any talent.”

Those are trigger words for me, so I immediately respond that art isn’t strictly about natural-born talent; rather, it is an acquired skill like cooking or typing. It takes instruction and time. As an artist myself, I started out believing that I had no talent and that I could not paint or draw. Thankfully a couple of mentors along the way gave me hope and step-by-step tools, urging me to be patient because virtuosity does not happen overnight.

When I first convinced myself it was time to learn how to paint, I also knew I had to find good teachers. I feared that showing up at the local YMCA would mean being taught by someone who was not accomplished or who had developed bad habits. Though everyone who is a few steps ahead can show us at least something, it is always best to secure great instructors. My way of doing so is to find art that I love, ask who made it, and then learn from them.

I started painting 24 years ago but did so only at night and on weekends due to my busy work and family life. Had I enough time to paint daily, it would have taken only a fraction of the years it actually required to reach my current level of skill. Yet I enjoyed painting immediately, even though I felt frustrated being unable to paint exactly what I envisioned. When I made a commitment to reach a much higher level, I hired a top landscapist to work with me privately. This has made a vast diference in the past couple of years. And just last month I hired a top portraitist to help me grow in that area. Illustrated on this page is my firstever self-portrait drawing. Though I’ve still got much to learn, this is proof that a little help goes a long way.

After 24 years of painting and of collaborating with both artists and collectors, I now know I would have taken a diferent path than the one I discovered accidentally. I’d start by observing the artists I admire, before I even began sketching. I would attend an event like our Figurative Art Convention & Expo (November 7-10, 2018) in order to absorb diverse influences, to consider how and what I want to paint, and to watch demonstrations and workshops. I would not put myself under any pressure, just drink it all in. Then I’d return home with a feel for whom I should study under — probably someone I’d watched or met or discovered at the convention. Had I done all this 24 years ago, I would have been at my current level in a couple of years rather than a couple of decades.

If you love art but harbor no hope of making it yourself, I warmly encourage you to try. It won’t come easy, and there will be frustrations — as when you learn to play piano or guitar. Don’t pressure yourself to attain a certain level too fast; just know that if you follow the path I propose above, you will soar more quickly. Recently I discovered just how quickly this can happen when I invited my sister-in-law to join my week of private lessons. On the first day her draftsmanship was average; seven days later she had captured the model’s likeness. It had taken me many years to accomplish what she did in a few days.

My personal goal is to teach one million people how to paint. I’m up to tens of thousands already (thanks to free landscape lessons available at paintbynote.com). Maybe you should consider trying. You will be amazed at what can be accomplished. And maybe we will see you this November at FACE — the Figurative Art Convention & Expo (figurativeartconvention.com) — an ideal place to study with the best of the best.